Music-chart.



PATENTED JULY 26, 19-04.

W. M. REESE. MUSIC CHART.

APPLICATION FILED 001114, 1903.

N0 MODEL,

Patented July 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM MADISON REESE, OF NAPOLEON, MISSISSIPPI.

MUSIC-CHART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,937, dated July 26, 1904.

Application filed October 14:, 1903. Serial No. 177,009. (No model.)

To all 2071 0111, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MADISON REESE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Napoleon, in the county of Hancock and State of Mississippi, have invented anew and useful Music-Chart, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of charts that are employed upon a piano or organ for indicating the keys to be struck in the playing of chords.

The object is to provide a device of the above character which may be readily applied to the instrument and will indicate the keys in such an unmistakable manner that the chords may be readily learned and played by a person of ordinary intelligence even though unskilled in the art of music.

One of the features of the invention resides in the arrangement of the scales and elements whereby the chart has a wide range of use and yet is extremely simple.

Another feature relates to the disposition of parts whereby the scales and indicator mechanism can be readily seen; and still another and important feature resides in the means for securing the device to the instrument, said means properly positioning the scales with relation to the keys and while holding the chart against accidental displacement permits the removal or displacement of the same without difiiculty and without marring or defacing the instrument.

The preferred form of construction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a keyboard, showing the chart applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through a portion of the same on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail rear elevation. Fig. 5 is a detail face view of the side of the finger-indicator plate opposite that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the base.

Similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated a base 7 is employed, which is arranged to rest upon the black keys of a piano or organ and is provided at its rear edge with a depending retaining-flange 8, constructed to engage behind said keys, and thereby hold the base against lateral dispacement. Transversely-disposed depending projections 9 are carried by the under side of the base 7 and fit in the spaces between the keys. Thus the base will be positioned upon the keyboard and held against accidental displacement in either direction and may be readily removed and placed in position, as will be evident. The under face of the base and the projections are provided with letters indicating the keys over which the portions are adapted to be placed, so that the chart can be properly positioned. This base is preferably considerably shorter than the keyboard, so that it may be placed, as desired, at different positions along the same, when it will properly fit upon the keys.

An upstanding and rearwardly inclined frame 10 is carried by the base and is connected at its lower end with the front edge thereof. This frame includes upper and lower outstanding marginal flanges 11, forming therebetween a guideway 12, that is backed by a facing plate 13, constituting a part of the frame. Said frame may be braced by strips 14:, extending from the upper edge thereof to the rear portion of the base, one of these strips being illustrated in Fig. 3. The flanges are preferably formed of sheet metal, and the upper'incloses the upper edge of the plate 13, the lower flange having a groove 15 in its upper edge that opens into the guideway 12. The lower marginal flange 11 is provided with a key-scale which corresponds to the keys of the instrument, while the upper flange is provided with afsharp and flat scale, constituting key-signatures. Both of these scales are provided with a finder, which is indicated at 16 and is preferably one of the C-natural inarks, defined by heavy ordiiferently-colored ines.

The plate 13, constituting the bottom or rear of the guideway 12, is provided with a longitudinally-disposed slot 17, having an intermediate enlargement 18, the position of which is indicated on the margins 11 by a line 19. In the guideway is slidably mounted a reversible finger-indicating plate 20, having centrally-disposed projecting headed studs 21, either of which engages in the slot 17,

While the other constitutes an operating-handle, accordingly as the plate is reversed. The heads are of greater diameter than the width of the slot 17, but may be removed through the central enlargement 18, as will be apparent by reference to Fig. 4. On one side of the plate 20 is located the finger-indicator for the major chords, as illustrated in Fig. 1, while on the opposite side are the finger-indicators for the minor chords, which are illustrated in Fig. 5. It is believed that the arrangement of the finger-indicators for these chords vWill be readily apparent. On the left of each stud are three distinguishing marks, the first of which is of diamond shape and designated 1. This represents the bass note for the first chord to be played with the left hand. The corresponding notes for the treble or right hand are similarly marked in the upper portion of the plate on the right-hand side of the stud. The second chord is defined by a square and the reference-numeral 2, while the notes of the third chord are marked by a circle and the numeral 3.

With the above description of the structure it is believed that the manner of using the chart will be readily understood and may be briefly described as follows: In playing accompaniments the base is placed upon the keys and properly positioned by means of the transverse projections 9. For lower or higher tones the chart may of course be placed at different positions toward the bass or treble portions of the keyboard. When positioned, the finger indicating plate is moved until the diamond-shaped mark numberedl is over the key-note of the chord to be played. Then with thumb of the left hand on this key-note and the little finger on the corresponding key an octave below and with the fingers of the right hand on the keys corresponding to the No. 1 indicators at the righthand side of the studs one stroke is first given with the left and three with the right hand.

Thus the first chord is struck. The fingers are thence moved successively to the different keys, (indicated, respectively, by the square and reference-numeral 2 and by the circle and reference-numeral 3,) and the other chords are in like manner made. In order to obtain the minor chords, the finger-indicating plate is moved until the knob is alined with the line 19, whereupon the plate can be removed and reversed, thereby exposing the finger-indicator marks for the minor chords. The operation of this is exactly similar to that above described.

It is desired to call attention to the following advantages of the chart: In the first place, the base will always be properly positioned' with regard to the keys and without the necessity of screws or similar fastenings, which tend to deface or mar the case. At the same time the device can be removed and replaced without difficulty. Because of the inclination of the frame and indicator-plate the scales will be fully exposed to the operator. Moreover, the structure is greatly simplified by the employment of a reversible plate of the character set forth, which plate carries indicator-scales for both the major and minor keys.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advatages of the invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a music-chart, the combination with a support having a guideway provided with a rear wall, said wall having a longitudinallydisposed slot, of a chord-indicator slidably mounted in the guideway and having a rearwardly-projecting headed retaining device that is slidably engaged in the slot.

2. In a music-chart, the combination with a support having spaced upper and lower flanges forming between them a guideway, of a rear wall for said guideway connected to the flanges, said Wall having a longitudinally-disposed slot, a chord-indicator plate slidably mounted on the guideway between the flanges, and a rearwardly-projecting headed stud carried by an intermediate portion of the plateand slidably engaged in the slot.

3. In a music-chart, the combination with a base arranged to rest upon the black keys of a musical instrument and having a depending longitudinally-disposed flange at its rear edge that fits behind said black keys, of spaced transversly-disposed projections carried by the under side of the base in advance of the flange and arranged to engage between the black keys, a rearwardly-inclined supportingframe mounted on the upper side of the base, and an indicator movably mounted on the frame.

4. In a music-chart, the combination with a support, of a reversible indicator movably mounted on the support, and means for securing the indicator to the support, said means constituting an operating-handle therefor.

55. In a music-chart, the combination with a support, of an indicator-plate reversibly mounted on the support and having scales on its opposite faces, and projections located on opposite sides of the plate, said projections constituting respectively a handle and a securing device for connecting the plate to the support.

6. In a music-chart, the combination with a supporting-frame having a longitudinallydisposed slot provided with an enlargement, of an indicator-plate movably mounted on the frame and having a headed stud that is slidably engaged in the slot thereof, the head of said stud being capable of passing through the enlargement of the slot.

7. In a music-chart, the combination with a supporting-frame having a guideway, said frame being also provided with a longitudinally-disposed slot having an enlarged opening therein, of an indicator-plate reversibly and slidably mounted in the guideway, and headed studs projecting from the opposite faces of the plate and constituting respectively a securing device engaged in the slot of the frame and an operating-handle.

8. In a music-chart, a support arranged to rest upon the keys of amusical instrument and having a scale, said support being furthermore provided with a longitudinally-disposed flange that fits behind the black keys, and depending projections that fit between said keys.

9. In a music-chart, the combination with a base having a longitudinally-disposed depending flange and transversely-disposed depending projections, of an upwardly and rearwardly inclined frame connected at its front edge to the base and having outstanding upper and lower margins forming therebetween a guideway, said frame being provided with a longitudinally-disposed slot opening into the guideway, scales arranged on the margins, an indicator-plate slidably mounted in the guideway and having a finger-scale, and a headed stud projecting from the rear side of the plate and slidably mounted in the slot.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my'own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM MADISON REESE.

Witnesses:

D. (J. WESTON, S. B. SWETMAN. 

